On Saturday 9th March 2019, Barbie celebrated her 60th anniversary, and to commemorate this very special occasion, Mattel unveiled a 60th anniversary doll, which will be available in the South African market. Blue Horizon Licensing, the licensing company which has represented Mattel Consumer Products and the Barbie brand in South Africa for over 15 years, has joined forces with retail brands from to host a series of promotions, activations and competitions.
“For 60 years, Barbie has spanned three generations of girls, inspired them with over 200 careers and sold more than a billion dolls in the process. Barbie has clearly stood the test of time and remains the ultimate empowerment brand for the next generation,” said Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Barbie.
Despite still competition from new-age toys, Barbie remains the most popular toy and doll brand worldwide, selling over 100 dolls every minute of the day, amounting to a massive 58 million dolls annually, across 150 countries around the world. The brand has an incredible 99% brand awareness; boasting over 14 million Facebook fans, more than 4.5 million monthly app users, over 4 million active website users, 3.2 million YouTube subscribers, 268 000 Twitter followers, and one of the world’s fastest growing Instagram accounts – @Barbiestyle – currently sitting at a whopping 1.9 million followers. It is the number one toy brand in social conversation, and the number one girls toy brand on YouTube. In South Africa alone, the brand sells over 10 million Barbie-related consumer and lifestyle products each year.
“On this milestone anniversary, we are using our global platforms to inspire girls and educate society on what we can do together to unlock their full potential. We can’t wait to see what is next for Barbie in the next 60 years to inspire the next generation of leaders,” McKnight concludes.
Here’s how the brand will be celebrating:
· BARBIE AS A ROLE MODEL – connecting with fans through inspiring content that is purpose-driven at the core, while entertaining and fun.
o As the #1 girls brand on YouTube, Barbie has a powerful platform to showcase teachable moments and is launching a new vlog on March 7th called “Finding Your Voice.”
o For the month of March, Barbie Vlogger joins YouTube Kids as an editor with a curated playlist of inspiring videos. Barbie Vlogger was given this honour because she has become a top girl influencer on YouTube with over 108 million views.
o Join @barbie to help close the Dream Gap by creating a story with Barbie’s social lens, inspired by a girl in your life. Share by using #Barbie60 #YouCanBeAnything. Tag @blue_horizon_licensing on Instagram and show us how you pledge to Close the Dream Gap. Mom & Me winners will be announced monthly.
· IN SOUTH AFRICA, Barbie and Blue Horizon Licensing are hosting a number of activations at retail stores around the country, including Toy Kingdom, Toys r Us, Toyzone, Ackermans and Jam.
o Toys R Us: Win daily prizes and Barbie hampers to the value of R1000, during the month of March.
o Toy Zone: Enter the Barbie Colouring In competition, and stand a chance to win a Barbie party for you and 16 friends to the value of R2500.
o Toy Kingdom: Come and join the fun at Barbie’s party, where you can decorate your own Barbie cupcake. Eastrand Mall on March 30, Sandton on April 6, Menlyn on April 13, Gateway on April 20, and Canal Walk on 27 April 2019.
o Ackermans: Win a Barbie Pamper Party Box for you and three of your friends.
o Jam: Enjoy a day of Princess Pampering at five stores across the country, between March 30 and April 20.
“It takes a true icon to remain relevant through six decades of escalating change, through social, political and cultural upheaval, to emerge stronger and shining brighter than ever before,” says Michelle Reid, CEO of Blue Horizon Licensing,. “We are immensely proud to represent Barbie in South Africa, and couldn’t be more excited about sharing this milestone with girls across the country”.
Follow South African retailers as well as Barbie South Africa on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest Barbie promotion and competition information.
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